Ron Perlman on Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Examiner.com are the bearers of fresh news, as they have not one, but two interviews with Ron Perlman, both of which touch on Conan the Barbarian (2011).

The first is a solo interview with Perlman, which discusses, among other things, Hellboy 3 and At the Mountains of Madness. Here’s the Conan excerpt:

What can you say about your role in the 2011 remake of “Conan the Barbarian”?

I play Conanâ€™s father. Thereâ€™s big-time sword action. But Iâ€™m only in the movie for 10 minutes. I canâ€™t tell everything, but the first sequence is huge. Itâ€™s epic. All I can tell you is that I work with the Conan whoâ€™s 11 years old. And thereâ€™s a jump cut to Conan the adult, and Iâ€™m no longer on the scene. I donâ€™t want to give away anything.

I never worked with [Jason] Momoa, whoâ€™s the adult Conan. I only worked with this kid [Leo Howard], whoâ€™s a phenomenal actor. And heâ€™s like a North American champion of swords since he was 4 years old. He had a black belt [in martial arts] by the time he was 4. Heâ€™s a swordsman and heâ€™s mind-boggling. He made me look like a piker.

The second interview is a group one, with Nicolas Cage and his Season of the Witch co-stars, Perlman among them.

Now that Iâ€™ve got “Conan [the Barbarian]” coming out, thatâ€™s one style. Thereâ€™s all different ways of handling the broad sword, depending on what the period is and what the cultural environment is.

God bless Perlman for trying to avoid spoiling things, but considering just about every site on the internet says what happens to Conan’s father, as well as that epic first sequence, it seems a bit unnecessary. It’s good to see Perlman talking up Leo’s proficiency with swords, and I hope the film is allowed to showcase both actors’ considerable talents.